Scalp lacerations are a frequent result of head trauma. A scalp laceration may be an isolated injury and the sole factor for an emergency department visit or an important component of multiple injuries to the scalp and/or other portions of the body. The scalp is highly vascular and even seemingly minor lacerations can lead to profound blood loss which, if unrecognized, can result in shock. Excessive bleeding exposes health care providers and bystanders to blood-borne pathogens and may, at the scene of the trauma, cause panic. The prevalence of patients taking blood thinners, worsens blood loss in this population. A method to control hemorrhage is needed.
Hemorrhagic scalp wounds are common. These injuries occur in many contexts, including (1) secondary to isolated head and scalp trauma, such as in, for example, falls, industrial accidents, and sports; (2) associated with multi-system trauma, such as, for example, motor vehicle accidents, falls, industrial accidents and assaults; (3) in nursing homes from ground-level falls and falls from bed; and (4) in the military combat and training setting. In the civilian population, even among seemingly healthy and active individuals, the problem is compounded by the increasing use of anticoagulants, which potentially transform seemingly innocuous scalp wounds into serious hemorrhagic events worthy of immediate and effective attention.
Particularly in the emergency setting, quick and simple action must be taken to minimize or stop blood loss. Existing stabilization measures are inadequate, the most common of which is direct pressure. This is applied by the patient, a bystander, or pre-hospital provider. In many emergency settings, including ambulance and helicopter transfer, few emergency practitioners are available. Dedicating a practitioner or other individual to applying such pressure can keep that person from performing many other emergency duties, and often effective pressure application is not achieved. It is often the case that, by the time emergency transport from an accident scene is complete, significant blood loss has occurred. The problem may be compounded in the hospital when, in an attempt to manage associated life-threatening injuries, the patient is taken for extensive diagnostic testing and treatment before definitive wound closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,535 describes an apparatus for arresting scalp bleeding. U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,535 describes a skull cap having a plurality of inflatable bladders, in which the inflated bladders exert pressure on the bleeding scalp and result in hemostasis. The skull cap is fastened about the victim's skull by attaching overlapping lobes with a VELCRO strap.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,762,337 describes a series of pressure bandages for wounds in a packaged and hermetically sealed form. U.S. Pat. No. 6,762,337 describes a dome-shaped pressure bandage with a bladder and gauze liner and gas cartridge in a pouch for filling the bladder and a hook strap and loop strap for securing the bandage to the victim's head.
Neither U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,535 nor U.S. Pat. No. 6,762,337, however, solve the problem of treating head trauma both in cases where there is an identified wound and in cases where there is also an unidentified wound in a simple and effective manner without causing substantial movement or reconfiguration of the patient during application and removal of the bandage. Both systems are complex and thus time consuming and subject to failure.